Outdoor, in-ground swimming pools are often subjected to the undesirable visit on the part of small animals, especially batrachia including spiders and other insects, and salamanders and small snakes. These animals are attracted by the large water body, and dive in without any consideration of a way out. Once a frog jumps into a swimming pool, it becomes trapped, firstly because the frog cannot "jump" since it will simply sink into the water during the jumping motion, and secondly because the upper side walls of the swimming pool are too steep and smooth for the frog to grasp and climb the surface thereof. Thus, they stay trapped in the pool water, swim but eventually tire and drift with the water current into the pool skimmer. There, they will try to remain at the surface of the water, fighting against drowning from the downward current. Once inside the pool skimmer, escape through the pool skimmer well opening back into the pool is difficult, due to the incoming water current. Sometimes, if strength and energy is sufficient, they will be able to escape from the bottom of the pool skimmer and come back at the surface of the water. When their strength wears out, after a strenuous battle for life itself, they will drown to the bottom of the skimmer basket, and die. Not only is this a sad period for the batrachian, but also for the pool owner, who will have to empty his pool filter, which can contain several dead animals, especially after rainy nights. This can be a problem in the case of outdoor, in-ground pools which are located out of the cities, i.e. in the open country, where the occurence of such above-mentioned small animals is rather frequent. Not only does the pool owner have to empty the screen bucket of his pool filter, but also the water itself may be contaminated by the decaying corpses of the dead animals, which then represent clean-up and health safety problems for the pool owner.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,623 issued in 1995 to J. A. Parr discloses an apparatus for rescuing frogs from swimming pools. This invention comprises a small platform having an integral annular bracket destined to snappingly engage the post of the pool ladder at water level. In use, the frog trapped in the pool water may climb onto the platform, and from there jump from the water onto the pool deck and thus escape its otherwise fatal destiny.
An important problem with this invention is that the platform is located on the periphery of a usually very large pool, and thus the frog may not swim or drift onto the platform. The frog is more likely to drift with the water current into the pool skimmer, remain trapped therein and never have access to the salutary platform.
Another problem with this platform is that it is intended for use by batrachia able to jump up onto the higher located pool deck. Indeed, the platform must be positioned at water level for it to be functional, and thus a vertical jump of six inches or more will be necessary to reach the safety of the pool deck. Some small frogs, salamanders or small snakes will not be able to perform this achievement and reach the pool deck from the platform.
Yet another problem with the above invention is that the water level may lower or rise under or above the platform. Indeed, the platform must be manually vertically sled along the ladder post to position it at water level. Thus, if the water level varies--e.g. during dry weather, it may lower under the platform, and during rainy weather, it may rise above the platform--then the platform may again be useless to the frogs trapped in the pool.
Another problem with the platform of the Parr patent is that a swimmer may accidentally hit it and possibly damage or break it, especially the rather small bracket holding the platform to the ladder post.